Respiratory Infections
Mycoplasma. This disease is so common, it’s hard to find rats that are free from it. The most common symptoms are sneezing and wheezing, but if the infection is far enough along, it can also cause gasping for breath. Mycoplasma, or, mycoplasmosis, is a respiratory infection that is extremely contagious (from rat to rat, not from rat to human), and it is incurable. It can be spread by direct contact, through the air, and from your touching an infected rat and then touching a healthy rat. The symptoms can be increased by cigarette smoke, ammonia from dirty cages, and vitamin A or E deficiency. Mycoplasma causes a blister effect on the surface of the lungs. It can also cause lung abscesses, emphysema, and infection of the uterus. Rats that have the disease usually act quite normal, besides the sneezing, and will eat well and be otherwise healthy, until the disease is quite advanced. For more in-depth information on treating and scientific facts, please see the links page under “Health Problems.”
on April 1st, 2006 at 1:20 pm
If rats have Mycoplasma, or, Mycoplasmosis can it be cured and does it have to be cured.
on December 10th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
I only have a question..I searched for info on my rat on several sites, I was wondering if it is common for a rat to have a redish discharge around her nose…she is only 3-4 months old and i have noticed it within the last 2 weeks…I take verry good care of her and her habitat so I donot understand why this is appearing now.So if u could clairify that for me it would be greatly appreciated… please e-mail me with a response at b_o_n_z_o@hotmail.com
on January 10th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
hi my rat is snezzing but apart from that he’s fine can it be cured, should i be worried. and hes in a cage with another boy, iv had rats before but they were girls and one boy so i seperated the boy and girls but i dont now wether to seperate the two boys whem their older. thanx.
p.s. i love the website
on February 9th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
I got my pet rat about three weeks ago from petsmart and when i bought her I did notice that she sneezed not a lot but some, now recently she sneezes more often but there is no discharge or wheezing that i can tell. The only sounds she makes is a soft, ever so soft i guess and mix of a beep and a squeak. Other than she is a playful, wonderful, and sweet little girl who is rapidly growing. My boyfriend who was opposed at the time now absolutely loves her. We often get rat “kisses” all the time and her little nibbles are entertaining. My problem is wheither or not she has a respitory infection. I am asking a friend who also has rat where her vet is to make sure and am getting her a much , much bigger cage. Also is nibbling a bad sign in a couple of sites they said that was because they liked you.
on July 23rd, 2007 at 3:03 pm
I went to the pet store about 3 weeks ago and bought two pet rats….both female…..They both live in the same cage and I take very good care of both of them………a few weeks ago I’ve noticed that one of my female rats is pregnant…I think she is due anyday now. I have moved her into her own cage and she has started to nest. Since I dont know when she got pregnant, I dont know how long she has until she has her babies. Do you have any pointers on first time rat owners and their pregnant rat? If so email me at Ash_Frogz@msn.com please.
on July 23rd, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Robin-Lynn Winmill,
I just looked on a site and this is what it sayed about your question…I hope it helps:
Red discharge (porphryin) around the eyes and nose is sometimes a sign that your rat is ill, but can also be present simply due to stress or an irritant such as dust. The harderian gland, which lies behind the rat’s eyeball, secretes a red, porphyrin-rich secretion that lubricates the eye and eyelids. This secretion sometimes gives the appearance of blood, but contains little or no blood
on October 18th, 2007 at 9:08 am
sometimes if your rat has red stuff coming from its eyes or nose it means he is stressed or has a respitory infection
on January 17th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
My male rat has a big red,Bloody,gooey thing on his chest and i try to put Neosporen on it but every time i do he just starts to lick it off. What can i put on it to help it go away? Will it go away? And how do i get him to stop licking it off?? PLEASE HELP ME!!!! my rat is really cute and i want to help him! please help me.
on February 20th, 2008 at 5:20 am
I was just looking at your website and I bookmarked it…it’s pretty good. You should keep updating it and stuff. My fiance’I bought me a Rat for Valentine’s Day. We named her Kasha. She has a brown face, white body and a Grey mohawk down her back.
So the sneezing, the pet store chick said, is normal and common. I didn’t know it could lead up to get worse. I’ll have to go get her checked out. I was also wondering, I’m going to go buy another Rat friend for her. I don’t want her to get lonely. Will this cause any stress on either of them…being new and all? Would they need to be from the same litter or group she was in when we bought her? please drop me a line. It would help. Sounds like you know what you’re doing.
on March 8th, 2008 at 8:31 am
The sneezing rat is not normal. This is a sign of Mycoplasma. I recently bought another rat to add to my two boys, and sure enough he was sneezing constantly. My two boys became seriously ill, rasping breath, they stopped eating and drinking, lathargic and gasping for air. I took the new sneezing rat back to the pet store to be seen by a vet. He was diagnosed with respitory infection. I was given baytril and another antibiotic to give to all rats twice a day. I didn’t think my two older rats were going to make it. After force feeding them baby food and hydrating them with store bought water using the syringe, they pulled through and symptons improved witin 3 to 5 days. One of the older rats still has some syptoms but they are eating and drinking on their own now.
on March 26th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
dear Tammy I have two males and one female rat the exact same thing happend to her they gave her the same medicine to and somthing called critical care food.
on March 27th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
I have two rats and both are just under 2 years old, and today one has started to make a whisteling/snorting noise when she breaths in and out and it gets louder and softer at times but she has never don this befor any ideas as to what she could have and what i could do to help her?
on March 27th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Well sad story but I just lost a blue husky marked dumbo male to this disease. He was young because the breeder here is new and sold the rats as soon as they stopped nursing, I discovered info on the disease, I began to treat him with tylosin, but apparently it was too late, he refused to drink, when I began to syringe water him he just spit it back out basically. To my horror I also discovered there i no vet in my area that treats rats. When I went to the pet store and breeder about the possible myco, they told me it was more likly a reaction to the bedding I was using. Which is the same bedding the pet store uses so how can that be? Well the owner of the pet store said he’d replace him for me, and gave me a pearl or light blue essex marked red eyed dumbo male, from the same breeder. Well I noticed he has alot of the symptoms, I’ve started the antibiotics but when he breathes it sounds almost like he’s bruxing, I’m trying to figure out if he’s really bruxing or if he’s having problems breathing? If so what should I do? Please contact me at perfectlyunnormal@gmail.com
on April 7th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Hi, my 3 males rats seem to be fine now. They make alot of noise at night, sounds almost like a chirping noise. I was concerned they were still sick but the sneezing has stopped and they are eating and drinking and very active. When they were ill I force fed them Apples and Chicken Gerber baby food & Peas and gave them Life water which hydrates them. You can also make your own pureed veggies.. Don’t forget to give them some chicken soup. When they are sick and refuse to eat and drink try and give them something they can’t resist . You have to force feed them and give them water or they will die. My ratties still love the baby food and peas. Make sure their bedding is not pine or cedar. Pine or Cedar bedding is toxic to rats.
on May 26th, 2008 at 10:20 am
So it’s uncurable and thats sad…but if I understand correctly then it’s something you can keep in check? I hope my babies will be okay!
on July 6th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I have to female rats angel and oreo i love em have noticed them sneazin alot maybe its the bedding since we just started usind it but im not sure they act normal and no spts and all but my mom does smoke
its seems like imt he only one who cares for em my sis like dosent care no more.
on July 15th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
So on Saturday my rat, Fifel, began more so than usual. Then poryphin started coming out of his nose while sneezing. After work today I rushed him and my new baby, Toby, while balling my eyes out. I know I’m pathetic! The vet prescribed baytril to both. They said I caught it quite early, but I’ll be devastated if the two of them don’t make it. I love them probably more than all my other animals. The vet also said that it could be something else that started with an s that was basically a disease that is untreatable. Anyone know what that is?
on July 15th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
So on Saturday my rat, Fifel, began sneezing more so than usual. Then poryphin started coming out of his nose while sneezing. They both have been eating and drinking just fine. After work today I rushed him and my new baby, Toby, while balling my eyes out to the vet. I know I’m pathetic! The vet prescribed baytril to both. They said I caught it quite early, but I’ll be devastated if the two of them don’t make it. I love them probably more than all my other animals. The vet also said that it could be some other disease that started with an “s” that was basically a disease that is untreatable. Anyone know what that is?